As part of Earth Day celebrations out here, the Bermuda Tourism Authority unveiled a Meredith Andrews mural designed to “teach the perils of ocean plastic and to serve as a reminder that a healthy Atlantic Ocean is essential to Bermuda’s tourism success.”

The artwork is now available for the public to see at the new Hamilton Visitor Services Centre, which officially opened today with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Front Street, overlooking Hamilton Harbour.

Meredith Andrews, a Bermudian photographer, collects plastic waste from the island’s shoreline and uses that collection to create images, collages and patterns, which are then photographed and oftentimes posted to Instagram.

A holiday advent calendar created for social media caught the attention of CNN and was featured on the news outlet’s website at the end of last year. Since then, the popularity of the work and the power of its message has intensified.

Because the healthy ocean message aligns with the “greener pillar” in Bermuda’s National Tourism Plan, the Bermuda Tourism Authority commissioned Ms. Andrews to create an art installation, inspired by the original advent calendar and suited for its Visitor Services Centre.

“With stunning pink sand beaches, spectacular coast-hugging trails and wildlife adventures like whale watching and scuba diving, Bermuda has a tremendous opportunity to become one of the greatest green conscious destinations in the world, but she can only grasp this opportunity if her surrounding ocean is healthy,” said Bermuda Tourism Authority Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Victoria Isley.

“Meredith’s work will resonate with visitors who care about eco-responsibility while reminding all of us of the importance of healthy oceans.”

Most of the trash collected for the project originated from other places and washed ashore in Bermuda, a connection point that brings visitors and locals together around a single mission.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” is the way Ms. Andrews describes it. “People are enthused by the idea that you can take something ugly and disgusting like ocean plastic and make something beautiful out of it. I think the viewer identifies with it; I get really excited about that.”

The Andrews mural is the first of what will become a rotation of visual displays featuring other Bermuda-inspired pieces in the Visitor Services Centre. The public can view it on the ground level of the Hamilton Visitor Services Centre at 10 Front Street. It’s open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm daily; open until 8pm during Hamilton’s Harbour Nights.